Post by Admin on Aug 8, 2009 8:40:18 GMT -5
Bittersweet Kaboom
Drake:
Drake could feel the butterflies welling up in his stomach. It was not every day that he dealt with volatile explosives. At least his job was the easiest one. Well, second easiest. He was kind of envious of Nadia right now, since she got to stay back at the Den where there was little chance of being blown up.
Drake and Steve were in position on a ledge just behind one of the cliff faces and several cases of explosives were strategically placed in close proximity. From where they were, they could not be seen by the people on the dam, although they could not see the dam either. That would change soon enough.
Their group was in charge of signaling Rian and Ember when to start their distraction, and also in charge of handing the explosives off to Suji and Luce in their bird morphs. "I suppose we should get ready," Drake said to Steve and Robert. Spots began to cover his body.
Stevert:
Stevert flopped down on the ground as soon as he had reached the top. He had taken a rest after lugging all of those bombs up the mountain. Now he slowly got to his feet and grabbed a crate of explosives that he placed next to the giraffe. "Might as well," he replied to Drake. Then grey fur and a huge, bushy tail appeared as Steve melted away and became a grey squirrel.
As the squirrel's limitless energy appaered, Steve said, <<Alright! Let's get this party started!>> Then he grabbed a lighter and climbed to the top of the giraffe. He leaped off Drake's head and grabbed a few sticks of dynamite. He soon had made a small pil;e on Drake's head.
Steve got ready for Luce and another person who he had forgotten the name of to arrive. Drake was going to hand them grenades and such while Steve would hand them and light dynamite. That was something you needed a bit of dexterity for.
Suji:
Suji and Luce hadn't been too far behind Drake and Stevert. They'd helped with a lot of the lugging, because after all, it seemed like it would be rather cruel to morph their birds and watch the guys do all the work with that. All the same, by the time the two young women reached the landing where Drake and Stevert would be relaying their explosives, Suji kind of wished they'd flown anyway.
By the time she reached the area, Drake had already begun morphing his giraffe, and Stevert was becoming a squirrel. She began to unpack what she'd been carrying, laying everything in order, for both the sake of the other team, and for Luce and her own safety as well. Drake and Stevert would need to be a well oiled machine, where working together accurately and cohesively was maybe more critical for them than for any of the other teams. There was an implicit danger in lighting dynamite, let along passing it along to birds who wouldn't even have much time to land.
Suji felt uncomfortable entrusting so many different people to do so many different things correctly. Whenever she drew up plans, they tended to rely on herself, and at most, one other person. It made her nervous to give other people responsibility, especially considering that she was the outsider here. At least she could trust Luce, though, and Luce would be her partner for this. And if Luce had stayed with this group as long as she had, then maybe Suji didn't have to worry all that much.
Suji let out a deep exhale, mentally preparing herself. This was big. She'd been in dangerous situations before (oh yes, nearly being murdered by a rogue, serial-killer Animorph was currently top of that list), but nothing that had this much weight to it. This was a real mission, a real act of warfare, not just espionage.
She was glad to find that while she was inherently nervous, jittery almost (which was an odd sensation for her, always so collected), she wasn't scared. It was more out of excitement. This was going to be a treat compared to what she'd been through lately. Not reckless excitement, necessarily, but the kind of nearly giddy feeling that she got when she knew that a plan held water, that it had a strong chance of survival.
Suji turned to Drake and Stevert, and immediately concealed how disturbed she was to find a squirrel creating a stockpile of dynamite on a giraffe's head. She refrained from saying all the things that could go wrong with this picture, and forcing a smile (that, after a little convincing, actually turned into a natural one--one that barely contained the thrumming alertness, aliveness in her bones). "I'd offer to shake both of your hands in a gesture of good luck, but I guess I'll just have to settle for saying it. Good luck."
She smirked, a little playfully--looking over her shoulder, she could see that Luce was joining them. "Also, resist the temptation to blow Luce up. I know she's can be a pain, but I really don't feel like doing these runs all by myself."
Drake:
Drake would have laughed at Suji's comment, but he was a bit preoccupied by the bombs he was trying do balance on his head. <<Maybe we should not put quite that many on my head. I think I could hold one or two with my tongue, too, if need be.>> Drake stuck out his long giraffe tongue, demonstrating how it could reach clear back to his ears.
He was glad he finally had a use for this morph. With it his head could just barely see over the hilltop and to where the Hoover Dam was awaiting their bombardments. The long neck also would be a useful tool for handing off the explosives without making Suji or Luce come in for a complete landing. He expected his face to get scratched up by their talons, but the pain would not be anything he could not work through.
<<Should we send out the signal?>>
Stevert:
A tongue stretched up over Drake's head. Steve actually backed up a step at the ugly thing. That long of tongues were meant to stay insidethe mouth, not reaching up over it. Then Steve promply placed two sticks of dynamite on the apendage. <<There. Chew on that, Drake,>> he happily said.
Now another voice met his ears. <<Good luck to you too. Hit those slugs where it hurts.>> Steve said in return. <<And I won't purposely aim for Luce, but if I "accidentally" fly over her and "accidentally" release a bomb, well, let's hope she can morph out of it.>> Steve chuckled to make sure that Luce didn't take offense and try to kill him.
So many oppurtunities to talk. Back in LA, Steve had to wait a few mionutes between conversations. Here, talking just occurred BAm, BAM, BAM! Like now for example, Steve had to talk some more. <<We have a signal? Ooo, I didn't know that. Is it a laser light? You know, if Rian and Ember are cats, that could mean to start since cats just love laser lights.>>
Suji:
Suji snickered at Stevert's reply, though she was more transfixed by the giraffe's tongue scooping up a few sticks of dynamite. It was more bizarre than any dream could ever be. But there wasn't much time to think about that. Soon enough they would signal, and the show would start. Suji looked over at Luce, but said nothing--she hoped that the small smile would be enough: I'm glad you're on my team, it hopefully read.
When Suji looked forward again, her face was already melting, forming the hook of the vulture's beak. Feathers, some gold and others black, rose from her skin, making two huge fans out of her arms. As her body shrunk, Suji kicked off the shoes she worn for the hike up. Taking a few hopping glides forward, she was now an Egyptian vulture. The black pits of her eyes magnified everything, and her large, powerful wings tucked close to her body.
It was a long way up, to look up at the top of the giraffe's head, but she swiveled her neck in the attempt. Please, please, don't let them have any accidents. Then she looked back at Luce.
Luce:
Luce carefully laid out the last of the explosives. She had been one of the ones to volunteer to lug this stuff up here all night so that most of the faction could rest up. She wouldn't have been able to sleep even if she had tried and so she hadn't bothered trying.
This morning the whole faction had helped bring up the last of what they would use and Luce could just barely make out the forms of Diana, Ray, Rian and Ember flying away. "Not yet, don't signal them yet they aren't there I think. Soon." She shaded her hand and looked up at the giraffe and squirrel. It was an...interesting idea to use those morphs but she didn't know if it would necessarily work. But she had decided to actually trust her team mates instead of just assuming they were a bunch of kids with little experience and less sense.
Still she hoped this worked. Except that about a goo %40 of hoped just as strongly that it didn't. She knew what Rian and Ember's mission was and she knew that they wouldn't have time to discriminate while they were down there, not that they would. One controller was as good, or in this case, bad as any of the others right? She herself hadn't hesitated to kill many of them thinking it was better to be dead than a slave.
So she wasn't really upset by the prospect of controllers dying. Just one, one controller's death would affect her very much. But there was nothing she could do. Any attempt to warn Sedra of what was coming would have compromised their whole operation and the whole team in general and that was a line she wasn't yet ready to cross.
Her dark mood was lightened a bit by having Suji here. If nothing else it felt good to have a clear objective and a capable partner to work with. She had missed that feeling. She was starting to trust some of the people in Vegas but she didn't trust many of them to watch her back the way she knew Suji could.
Just concentrate on your job, she told herself but even as she morphed and flew above the ground crew following Suji's egyptian vulture, circling them, it was with a heavy heart.
Drake:
<<Ten four,>> he said to Luce in acknowledgment. Silly Drake, you already knew that it was not time to send out the signal yet. They knew that there was a strong possibility of their being fireworks at this event, and they were supposed to send out the signal near the end of the display. Judging by the distinct lack of bright kabooms, it was not yet time to start.
<<You do not know about the signal Steve? Well, you will have to be the one to initiate it with that lighter of yours. It is straight ahead, behind that rock.>> Drake turned his head to aim it at the rock in question. They had a small green firework set up on top of the hill (well shielded from the other explosives) to use as a signal.
<<I hope we can get this over with pretty soon, or else I might explode from anticipation.>> Perhaps that was not the best choice of words, given the situation, but it was still an accurate description of how he was feeling at the moment.
Stevert:
Steve muttered to himself as Robert temporarily controlled his actions. Robert had decided to imitate his brother's stockpiling technique and created a similar pile, only bigger, on Drake's back. He knew he couldn't put to many there or else they would fall off. So, as Robert did the labor, Steve soaked up the social atmosphere.
<<Fireworks? AWESOME!>> Steve crowed in thought-speak. <<Wow, you guys here in Vegas are so much cooler than the folks back in LA. Matt would never had let me play with a forework...not even if the mission depended on it. Well, maybe then he would. After all, surely Dracon beams are deadlier than fireworks...but still! Fireworks! I can't wait!>> Steve ended in thought-speak.
In his private part of his mind, Robert groaned. Steve just kept going on, and on, and on, and not surprisingly, on and on. He actually kind of wished that he could have stayed in LA, if only to stay away from his babbling brother.
<<Knock it off, Steve.>> Robert sais in open thought-speak that he didn't even try to keep between him and his brother. After all, everyone else must have been thinking the same thing. Except for Drake. Drake and Steve got so well along together that he wouldn't mind.
But Steve was still talking. And Robert was still groaning.
Luce:
Luce laughed at Robert's thought speak message. She had noticed Steve's tendancy to chatter herself and didn't like it much. In fact the kid was really too young for her to really like his company in both age and maturity. But Luce thought she might actually get along with Robert if he wasn't as flighty as Steve seemed to be.
She found their situation unfortunate and unique and for the first time she started thinking of them as two different people. <<Robert,>> she called down in open thought speak, <<how old are you?>>
Stevert:
If only Robert could still morph, then he would fly away from his brother as fast as possible. However, he wasn't going to shut Steve up. Steve would continue talking to him so if Rob had to suffer, than everyone had to suffer. After all, didn't teammates share everything except chocolate?
Then thoguht-speak flooded his mind as well as Steve's. Rob was taken aback since people normally just spoke to Steve and Rob answered that way. And to make matters even more unusual, it was Luce who was talking to him.
In open thought-speak as well, Robert responded, <<I am 16 years old. Why, is there a problem?>>
Luce:
Luce's wings slowly went up and down as she gained and lost height. It was difficult maintaining a position in the air above the giraffe and the squirrel, especially in the cool morning air. It would be much easier to fly in the canyon that was the lake. The owl, by some sense that birds had, knew that, knew there would be more wind to ride there. But it wasn't time yet to head out over the lake and Luce knew that once they did they would expose themselves and it would only be a matter of time until some sort of resistance was put into the air so Luce wasn't anxious to get out in the open.
She dipped below the level of Drake's head and her wings beat dead air to get back up. Maybe she should land? Birds required a lot of energy to fly and hers hadn't eaten nor would it if she was lucky. Suji had to be feeling the strain even worse since she had a bigger bird.
<<Maybe we should land Suj, at least until we get the signal.>> Then she turned her attention back to Robert, looking down at the squirrel as she tried to find a good place to set down. <<No, no problem. I was just wondering. You seem older than your brother and more mature, then again, going through what you have, that is not surprising.>>
Luce hated yeerks. And she had thought she would hate that Steve was a controller but instead she just felt an odd sort of pity and comradeship with Robert if not Steve. He had lost a lot to this fight already, maybe even more than her.
Stevert:
Robert chuckled. <<Yes, I am older than Steve. After all, he's only 14. And honestly, I think Steve acts the way he does becuase it might be a defense mechanism. He talks, he laughs, he makes a fool of himself probably to forget what is going on. I know he can't completely do that but Steve is coping.>> All of that was said in private thoughtspeak to Luce. In fact, he blocked his thoughts from Steve as he talked.
Then Robert replied to Luce again, but this time in open thought-speak. <<Yeah, I have been through alot. But so has Steve. But we'll survive.>> After a brief pause, Robert asked, <<So when do we fire the signal again? I forgot.>>
Luce:
Luce didn't respond to Robert's summary of his brother's character. She understood that Steve's tendency to talk was some sort of defense mechanism. She just had no patience for it. Didn't mean she hated the kid just that she wasn't going to be inviting him out to any parties anytime soon. Rob, well that was a different story but they kind of came as a pair. Or did they. She supposed that if some else offered to serve as Robert's host then they could get him away from Steve. But who would volunteer for that?
<<When we see the fireworks start on the dam,>> she said in open thoughtspeak. Then to Robert alone she said, <<I'm 22 and I was made a controller when I was 18.>> She landed on the ground and folded her wings. <<I understand defense mechanisms. We all have to find a way to deal with the bad things. But what is yours? You seem to be handling your situation well.>>
Stevert:
Privately, Robert responded. <<Well, it isn't as if I have much of a choice. I can no longer morph nor experience the things I used to. I guess I just deal with it all by staying with Steve. Through him I can morph in a way and still get to do things that I can't. So in a way, I'm lucky. I could easily have been trapped as a goldfish or a cockroach or something. Then I would have been useless and probably would have gone insane. Besides, Steve unintentionally helps. With him constantly chattering, whether you guys hear it or not, he helps me to forget what happened to me,>> he finished in a hushed tone.
Now his mind was racing. Why is Luce taking an interest in me? Surely there isn't much to speak of. I mean, I'm a yeerk nothlit. There isn't much to speak of besides how I live with Steve 24/7. And I don't know how I do that myself. By now, he had finished the explosive pile and ran back up Drake's neck and sat behind his horns.
Luce:
<<Wow, that is quite a positive outlook.>> Luce didn't think that in the face of losing so much she could have been nearly as optimistic. There were so many things that Robert wouldn't be able to do in his life but instead of concentrating on that he was focusing on the things that were left to him. Luce found that attitude inspiring and her respect for the older brother rose no end. Not that she imagined her opinion would matter to him or Steve but she felt a little better about this mission knowing Robert was part of the ground team.
<<Maybe after we finish this we can catch a drink or something and talk more about our philosophies on life.>> Luce said it a bit sarcastically but she meant the offer. She'd like to talk to the guy more.
Luce heard the voice of the controller that had made the announcement at the party begin to boom over the surface of the lake, amplified so that all could hear. <<I think it is almost time. Best get back in the air.>> She lifted off and began to circle back into the sky.
Drake:
<<That is your cue,>> Drake said to Steve as the first of the fireworks went off. He stretched out his neck and put his nose near where the signal was sitting in order to make a bridge for the little squirrel. <<Everyone is ready, right?>>
It was a rhetorical question since they had been waiting for a little while now. They were all physically ready, and if they were not emotionally ready by now, then it was too late to back out without becoming a deserter. It was time to find out if all of their planning and preparations would pay off. It was completely cliche, but Drake could not stop himself from saying it. <<Let's show these aliens who they're dealing with.>>
Drake:
<<Sure, I know a guy who makes a mean glass of Kandrona filled sludge.>> Robert said in response to Luce's sarcastic comment. <<And good luck up there,>> he 'said' to Luce and Suji. Know he turned his attention back to what was happening as Steve leaped off of Drake's head and landed just behind the signal.
<<Actually, let's not show the yeerks who we are. That could make us targets and I want a mission to actually go right for once. Does Vegas have a good record for that?>> Steve blurted out as he switched the lighter on. He leaned over and touched the small flame that was pretty big to the squirrel to the wick. Like out of an old Bugs Bunny cartoon, the wick ignited and began burning up.
<<Fire in the haul!>> Steve cried as he jumped back on to Drake's head, being careful not to dislodge any dynamite. As he watched from between Drake's horns, the firework ignited and flew into the sky. For a moment, it just hung there and then a brilliant explosion of light and smoke erupted from it.
<<Wow,>> Steve said. <<That was so cool! Let's do that again!>>
Luce:
<<Well actually I was thinking something more of the human variety,>> she said to Robert, <<but then I remembered you're underage...both of you.>> A small laugh followed the comment but then she saw the fireworks go off on the dam. <<Guess it's time. Thanks, you too,>> she answered Robert's good luck wishes.
She turned and lined up for a fly-by of Drake's head to pick up her first stick of dynamite giving plenty of time for Rob to get it lit and hold it out. <<First run.>>
Drake:
Drake held out a stick of dynamite (or whatever it was) in his tongue, trying as best he could to keep it in a position to be lit and grabbed by Luce and Suji. This was going to get interesting, fast. Never in his wildest dreams would Drake have ever imagined that he would end up in his current position.
<<I got ammo for whoever needs some! And do not worry about scratching. Giraffes are tough. And Steve. Do not think for one second that I will not toss you over the side of the cliff if you are about to blow us up. You better have the skill of a surgeon with that lighter.>> That probably came out a little harsher than intended, but the situation was pretty intense at the moment. At least more intense than Drake would have liked.
Stevert:
<<Scalpel,>> the younger boy replied as he leaned over Drake's ridiculously long tongue to light the dynamite. <<But I thought giraffes were tough.>> he whined. Then he laughed as images of explosions ran through his mind and a giraffe just standing there as a squirrel holding dynamite fell off a cliff. well, the last part wasn't too funny.
<<Drake, maybe I should hold the dynamite. No, never mind. I think the girls might take me as well.>> Steve said. <<I am immune to the yeerks now and I got a morph suitable for aquatic conditions but the yeerk sludge stains horribly and is almost impossible to get out. In fact, if Robert hadn't become a nothlit, he would've needed a new morphing suit.>>
And now, Steve had to exert a little energy to calm the squirrel down. It didn't take much since the squirrel had been Steve's favorite morph and the easiest one to relate too. But the sight of two humungous birds flying straight at him made the squirrel a little bit...nervous.
Luce:
Luce came in slightly above Drake's head and actually dropped past it, stooping on the dynamite, talons gripping the ends that stuck out on either side of Drake's tongue. Her fanned tail brushed against the giraffe's face and it threw her off and she dropped more than she'd like as she came off the pick up but she hadn't dropped the stick and she hadn't gouged Drake's eyes out so all in all Luce called that a success.
"Alright gentlemen, I'll see you in a couple of minutes hopefully. If not then I'll see you on the other side if there is one." She corrected her wings and headed out over the lake.
Drake:
<<Was that a joke?>> Drake asked Stevert privately. <<I think that might have been a joke. Luce must be nervous or something if she is trying to make jokes.>>
Drake really did not know if it was supposed to be a joke or not, and he really did not care. He was just talking in order to keep his mind off of the lit explosive from his mouth he had just passed to an owl in flight. <<Got the next one ready?>>
He gave up trying to keep his mind off of it.
Suji:
Suji's wings strained as she fought to hover. The signal went off, and internally, she felt the giddy nervousness fall away, much like the ground would once she soared out over the pool. Instead, inside, she was calm: like a motion picture will all the sound stripped away. Not cold like she'd had to be during the Toby and Sophia affair. Just... ready.
She had heard the banter before but had neglected to participate that much. Suji felt like this plan, at least this part of it, was completely her own doing. Not in the way that she could take sole credit for its success--nothing like that--but in the way that if it failed, she would be experiencing the brunt of responsibility. Their's to share in success, but all hers to wallow in if someone died.
Heavy thoughts that fell away too as she plucked the first stick of homemade dynamite into her talons. <<They picked the wrong planet tonight, boys and girls. Let's blow these slugs back to Mars.>> Tough talk, but it felt good, right. The kind of thing you were supposed to say at moments like this. Then, privately, to Drake and Stevert: <<Take care.>>
Suji picked up altitude, following Luce. Her thoughtspeak was reopened to all of them. <<Make sure you don't explode! We need waterboys with all giraffe tongues and lighters and bushy tails in working order!>> With that she laughed, and pulled her wings in tight.
Stevert:
<<Uh, not really sure. She doesn't smile or laugh or anything to give herself away,>> Steve replied to Drake in a highly philosophical way. In the meantime, he leaned over a agin and stretched out to light the next stick of dynamite. What ever happened today, he was certain that he was going to get a good workout with his squirrel morph.
<<Okay. We will.>> Steve said very matter-of-factly in response to Suji. Then, after he said to Drake. <<Drake. I'm still going to get you back for leaving me with those wasps back there. Just to remind you.>> What happened was, when they were hiking up the mountain, one of the piles of explosives had slipped and began rolling down the mountain. Steve went to retrieve them when wasps attacked.
Drake:
<<Wait a minute. You will get me back? I should be the one getting back at you. As I recall, you caused me to drop them in the first place. I could have exploded!>> Drake let out a little laugh after that. He already had his next explosive ready, so now all he had to do was wait until the delivery birds returned. His mind thought back to the events Steve was describing...
"Would you hurry it up? At your pace we will have to blow up the dam next July." Drake was kidding of course, because he was not going much faster. He just happened to be in the lead at the moment.
He and Steve were taking their third load of explosives up the side of the hill for that day. Drake was not sure how athletic Steve was, but he himself was definitely out of shape. Even the small crate he had on his back was enough to wear him down to the point of exhaustion.
"Hold on. I need to take a break." Drake stopped and took the crate off his back, then set it on the ledge beside him as he sat down to rest. He wiped his brow free of sweat. You knew you were working hard if you sweat in Las Vegas, because it usually evaporates quickly. "Are we there yet?" Drake asked with a grin.
Stevert:
"Hey! It's not my fault ou're, like, twice my size!" Steve complained. He and Drake were carrying the same amount of explosives but they nearly flattened him. Besides, wasn't hard labor like this what morphing was for? "I really need a horse morph or something. This would be a whole lot easier."
Fianlly Drake stopped. "Again?" Steve cried although he needed a break as well. "You had at least ten breaks on the last two trips and now you have already passed fifteen! You need to morph a turtle. It matches you perfectly." Steve jabbed at Drake. Of course, Steve had called for a few breaks as well. A fourteen year old can only carry so much stuff up and down a mountain a few times without getting tired.
Then Steve was caught off guard by Drake's comment. "I wish. Why don't they make mountains smaller? Then it would be easier for rogue humans to carry explosives up and down it. Some people are just sooo inconsiderate." he said as he plopped down on the dirt out of weariness. In fact, he was tired enough to want to morph his squirrel. But a squirrel couldn't carry the crate that Steve was carrying. Heck, STEVE could barely carry it.
Then, Steve looked around. He saw rocks. And more rocks. A few trees. Some bushes. Some grass and other plants. But most of all, he saw ROCKS! So, out of boredom, he picked up a small, light pebble and chucked it at Drake.
Drake:
Drake was too busy trying not to laugh at Steve's banter to notice him picking up a rock. However, he did notice when the pebble came flying at him, and he jerked back to avoid it. Causing him to bump his crate over the side of the hill.
Drake cringed as he heard it sliding down the slope, expecting to be blown to smithereens at any moment. When he finally realized that he would survive, he looked to see what had happened to the crate. It was stuck in a shrub that was growing out of the hillside.
"Look what you made me do!" Drake exclaimed, passing the blame onto Steve. "You better go get that because I am definitely not climbing down there." Drake stood with his arms crossed. He had been having fun earlier (sort of), but now he was serious. Not because he actually blamed Steve, but because now they had to retrieve some explosives from a precarious location.
Stevert:
"Well I'M not going down there either," Steve replied. "Who knows when that stuff will explode? I personally would prefer to keep myself in one piece, thank you very much." He said as he mimicked Drake's posture. "And I didn't make you push it down the hill. Nope, you came up with that on your own."
"I know! Let's flip a coin! Heads you go down or tails I stay up here." Steve said rather quickly. Of course he didn't have any money though. So he picked up another rock. "Bumpy side is heads. Smooth side is tails. Agreed?"
Drake:
"Fine. Except on tails you go down there, " Drake said, snatching the rock from Steve's hand. He tossed it up in the air so it would flip end over end. He let it fall on the ground so that he could not be blamed for tampering with the outcome.
"Yes! Have fun fishing for dynamite. I will try to resist throwing burning sticks at you while you are down there." Drake was interested to see how Steve would pull this one off.
Stevert:
"Urhhgg," Steve said as he contemplated his move. "I know you rigged that." he complained as a surge of energy rushed through him and he spine exploded out into an elegant, bushy tail. Soon the changes were done and a grey squirrel of the eastern variety leaped over the ridge with tis arms outspread, in the attempts to mimick a comic book superhero. <<Super Squirrel to the rescue!>> Steve cried out as the familiar mind bubbled up.
Then he hit the ground nearly two stories down and rolled to keep moving. He knew from a lot of practice that the squirrel would not have been hurt. He'd done similar tricks all the time back in LA. So now he came out of his roll and began scampering back down towards the crate. Steve never stopped moving until he reached the crate.
Once he did stop tohugh, he stood on his haunches and scratched the squirrel's head while the other one rested on his hip. Thinking quickly, he came up with a brilliant plan. He would get Robert to come up with a brilliant plan. Speaking directly to Robert's mind without the use of thought-speak, Steve said, <<Hey, do ya got any ideas? I've drawn a blank and even that looks horrible.>>
<<Watch and learn, little brother.>> Robert answered chipperly. He swiftly assumed control over Steve and lunged at the bush. He climbed towards the crate that seemed to be lodged in the center of the bush. Right now, Robert was using reconnosaince to figure out the best way to move it. After all, the crate could detonate at the slightest disturbance.
He climbed closer and began to bite away at several thin branches that were constricting the box the most. When he finished the task, he leaped out of the tree and began to dmeorph Steve's body.
<<Okay Steve, now pull it out.>he said as a human now stood by the bush.
Steve obeyed and jerked the crate free of the bush. Suddenly, a buzzing sound appeared in his ear and then vanished. A second later, a sharp pain erupted on the back of his neck. He instinctively slapped at the spot and flet a moving object there. Suddenly, another sharp pain on his elbow. He looked down and a wasp flew away. Then another sting on his other arm. Then on his cheek.
As he slapped and swatted, Steve turned back towards the top of the hill and yelled, "DRAKE! WE"RE UNDER ATTACK!"
Drake:
Drake watched from up above as Steve got stung over and over again. He felt bad for him, but it was still kind of funny at the same time. Besides, there was not a lot he could do about it. "Hope you are not allergic!" Drake called down.
Drake mentally went through his list of morphs to see if anything he had could help. Fish and moth, definitely not. Giraffe, not on this narrow ledge and from way up here. Lizard could try to eat them, but that did not sound too appealing and it probably could not catch the flying bugs anyway. Secretary bird? He could fly down there, but then all he would be able to do is soak up some of the stings for him.
"Sorry Steve! Looks like you are on your own down there!"
Stevert:
"THANKS A LOT DR--AARRRGHH!" Steve screamed as he slapped at another sting. Steve's mind raced. He could heal any wound and most diseases. He could become a wild dog a kill a man with one bite. He could fly hundreds of feet high. He could swim underwater faster than most fish. He could climb the highest tree. He could catch mice in the middle of a pitch black night. But he could not defend against wasps.
His face and hands were beginning to feel puffy so as he grabbed onto the crate and tried dragging it away from the wasps. He dragged it about ten feet before he gave up. Every patch of exposed skin was covered in blisters and he was getting numb. That meant that his feet, hands, arms, legs from the knees down, and face were covered in stings.
So he tried a tactic to get away. He began to run. But as he did so, orange and white fur spread from his hairline downwards. About another minute later, he fell forwards and landed in a bush. Fortunately, the partial morphing had healed most of the stings so he reversed the morph.
As soon as he was able, he extracted himself from the bush and began to walk back towards the crate. Fortune had abviously smile don him because the wasps were nowhere to be seen. He grabbed the crate and slung it on to his back. Then he trudged back up the hill, all the while, glaring bloody murder at Drake.
Half way up the hill, Steve slapped at an itch on his arm. Then another itch. He slapped again and heard a 'crunch!' He looked down at his wrist and saw a mess of blood, goo, and who-knows-what. Then a familar pain jabbed into his neck as a buzzing sound filled his ears. Yelling, Steve ran faster than ever up the hill.
When he reached the top with the hoarde right behind him, he decided that Drake should share his experience as well. Yelling, he ran towards Drake and then around him, efectively placing Drake in the wasps' path.
"How do you like it, Drake?" Steve said as he quickly set the crate down. Stings still jabbed him but now he was morphing.
Drake:
Drake had been trying to restrain his laughter as he watched Steve struggle up the hill with the angry wasps, but now that they were up here, it was not quite as funny. "Ow! What? Hey! They are supposed to be attacking you, not me!" Normally if you just stood still then stinging bugs do not bother you. But apparently these guys did not get the memo.
If he had time to think about it, Drake probably would have tried to acquire one and joined their ranks. But Drake did not have time to think about it. He was too busy getting made into a stinger pincushion! Therefore he did what was only natural. He ran.
Drake ran as fast as he could down the hill they had come up on, trying to get away from the swarm and swatting aimlessly. Then he tried to trow them off by doubling back and running back up the hill. Not a smart choice. Not only did they still follow him, he was now working twice as hard by going uphill. "Ahh! Get away from me!" he said to the bugs.
Stevert:
"See Drake? Aren't these guys os fun?" Steve shouted as he horizontally across the hill. Going down would only make the wasps madder by getting closer to their home and going uphill was too hard. So he ran to the side, and he tried not to stumble. Amazingly, pain seemed to increase your coordination. Steve didn't fall once.
It seemed like the swarm had split into two groups. One chased Drake and the other hounded Steve. "Drake! Trying morphing to escape them! Steve shouted. The fun was over now and he and Drake had to get going on the mission.
Now Steve took his own advice and tried to morph to get away. A cool-looking diamond tattoo spread across his skin along with red marks were he kept getting stung.
Three minutes and dozens of stings later, a short eared owl flew back towards the site where the crate had been dumped followed by a pack of wasps. <<Drake! Get a lighter! I got an idea! And break open a crate! I'm planning on getting rid of these things forever!>>
Drake:
Drake liked Steve's idea better than his. Morph instead of run. Drake concentrated as best he could on his secretary bird morph and in a few minutes he was flapping as hard as he could to get away from the pesky pests.
Then when he heard Steve's suggestion Drake could not help but let out a laugh. But he stopped quickly as he realized he might not be joking. <<Sorry Steve, but I don't feel like dyeing today. Lets save that event for when we blow up the dam.>>
Drake tried dipping and diving and doing loop-de-loops, but nothing seed to be able to shake them. <<Got any other bright ideas, wise guy?>> He was going to have more bumps than a toad with chickenpox pretty soon.
Stevert:
<<Actually, now that you mention it, I've got every part needed for my time machine except for the spatial-rift initiating sequencers. You wouldn't happen to know where I could get some do you? Or were you talking about my plan to totally cut the cost of our hotel insurance in half? Be more specific please.>> Steve rattled off as he poured on every evasive action and manuever that the three collective minds knew of (the owl, Steve, and Robert).
Suddenly, an amazing idea struck. Actually, that was another wasp sting. But the trio had still come up with an idea. Fly higher! <<Draaaaake! We have an idea! Fly as high as you can! Straight up! It takes a lot of effort to fly in the thinner atmosphere and hopefully these mutant-wasps or whatever they are won't follow. And you know something? I'm sure I've seen this scene in a cartoon or something. Y'know when the cartoon annoys a lot of bees and they follow him in a tear-drop shape? And if the character hides, then the bees turn into a saw or something to find the character? I think these things have seen to many cartoons.>>
Then Steve suddenly swerved upwards and pumped his wings as fast as possible to increase his altitude and to get away fromt he insects. They were persistent little buggers! And every pun was intended! Maybe humans weren't the only ones who hated the yeerks so the wasps were driving out anything that resembled a controller? Who knew? And who cared? All Stevert was worried about was getting away from them!
Drake:
Drake could not think of any better ideas at the moment, so he decided to follow Steve's. But it was easier said than done. Drake had a different type of bird morph than Steve had, and it was not the type that did intense arial acrobatics.
<<Ugh. This is hard. How did you manage to get so high, so fast?>> Drake frantically pumped his wings, straining every muscle. He was fighting gravity for every inch, but he was steadily raising higher and higher. He was still getting stung, but it was less and less frequent with every passing minute. He was not sure if it was because the plan was working, or because the bugs were running out of stingers. And he did not care.
<<Finally,>> Drake said when he reached a height where the bugs stopped stinging him. <<Whoa! This is pretty high up. I did not know my bird morph could get this far off the ground.>> A slight feeling of vertigo started to creep up on Drake as he looked down at the landscape. His bird mind was doing just fine, but Drake was starting to get a little nervous. <<You want to go back down?>>
Stevert:
<<I don't know how I do it!>> Steve retorted. <<This bird ain't meant to power fly! It usually flies like a butterfly. Very slow and lazy. But I guess adrenaline can do anything.>>
The air was a lot thinner now, at the height that he and Drake had achieved. That meant it was harder to breathe properly and it took a lot more power to stay up there. But on the bright side, surely the wasps' small wings would not be able to work up there. And that meant the plan had been successful. <<You know Drake? If the yeerks had been wasps, we never would have stood a chance of escape.>>
Now his muscles were draining and each wing beat seemed to take exponentially more amounts of energy to flap. <<Sure let's go. Hey look!>> he interjected. <<The wasps are falling! Maybe their wings and muscles gave out. O
r do they even have muscles?>> But Steve still followed their example and he folded his wings in and let gravity bring him down.
Drake:
Drake just let Steve's comment go unanswered. Exhaustion started to rear its ugly head and he did not feel like expending any more energy than necessary. Not even the energy required to think. Drake drifted down towards the ground lazily. Back towards the hillside near the lake.
<<Yeah, you definitely owe me for that one,>> Drake said as he handed off another stick of... whatever it was, to the birds. <<Not only were you the reason I dropped the explosives, but you also made a swarm of wasps attack me, and I almost died of exhaustion a thousand miles up in the air. You better buy me an ice cream cone or something.>>
Drake looked over at the dam. It looked like the smoke bombs were starting to wear out. He hoped Rian and Ember were alright. The tower was still standing too, but he did not remember when exactly it was supposed to go down, so he hoped everything was going smoothly over there, too. However, it looked like extra support had not been called in yet, so that was a plus.
Stevert:
<<Okay. I do admit that I might have played a role in you dropping the crate, but the wasps had nothing to do with me. Besides, you were dumb enough to stand in the way and not to help me so I think you owe me the ice cream cone. If it will last longer than a nanosecond in this sun.>> Steve remarked as he also passed along an explosive device.
Steve still felt a little sore after the experience. Only mentally since morphing cured the wounds. But he forgot about it in a second as he ran down Drake's neck to get a another stick of dynamite. Then he began to remake the mini stockpile on Drake's head that had now run out.
Luce:
((Last part of Rokk post))
They were level with the boys again and Luce set herself on a path that would take her past them so that she could do a u-turn and pick up another bomb. <<We're back. Time for round two.>>
Drake:
<<How much damage do you think those things really do?>> Drake asked Steve as Luce and Suji flew off to deliver round two. <<I mean, sure, they give off a splash, but the dam is not exactly bursting at the seams. I suppose it is still too soon for that though.>> Having answered his own question, Drake tried to think of something else talk about while they waited.
<<So, do you think the yeerks have some sort of backup power source for the city? You know the Hoover Dam supplies a lot of the power for the western United States.>> Drake was showing off his knowledge from being a Las Vegas local.
<<Actually, are they even using it for electricity now? Probably not since they made the lake into a yeerk pool. Hmm.>> Drake managed to stump himself. Now he could not help but wonder what sorts of alien power sources the yeerks might have.
Stevert:
<<Oh I don't know. Maybe enough to kill about a few hundred yeerks apiece?>> Steve said although his tone had become cold half way through. He didn't like the way the conversation was now going, since he did not like the plan very much of slaughtering so many helpless yeerks.
On the inside, Steve smilied and then said, <<Popwer source? Not sure. I never heard anything about it in the pool here or in LA. Not that I was too important or anything. So what do you--hey! Do you see that?>> While talking, Steve had been searching for Luce and Suji to return so he would know when to light more bombs.
While doing so, he had seen bright red flashes over the dam. They were too narrow and they seemed to be coming from above the pool. <<Drake? Did the girls happen to take some Dracon beams with them?>> he asked as a cold feeling began to form in the pit of his metaphorical stomach.
He leaped off Drake's head and glided towards the ground, using his enormous tail as a parachute. He rolled as he landed and scurried across the bround climbing up the hill. He reached the base of a tree and skillfully scaled it. Once he had reached the top, at a height about fifteen feet above Drake's head, he saw something he did not like.
<<Yeerks! Drake! The yeerks have discovered Luce and Suji!>>
Drake:
Drake saw it now, too. With his head just barely over the peak of the hill, he could see the dracon beam shots from the bug fighter. This was not good, but at least they had delivered a large potion of their ammunition.
<<I think that is our cue to go.>> Not waiting for an answer, drake put his head near a ledge and let the remaining explosives slide off gently. Then he began the process of demorphing. If the bug fighter came to this side of the hill, then he did not want to give them a target as big as a giraffe to shoot at. Even if they missed him, there was a good chance they would hit one of the remaining explosives. "You going to fly yourself? Or do you want to hitch a ride once I get some wings?"
Stevert:
<<My own wings of course. Now, watch and be amazed at the little morph I have up my...DNA. And it ain't the blue jay.>> Steve said as he hurled himself into the air and almost floated to the ground. In midair, he began demorphing.
He hit the ground as a shifting mass of fur and the mostly black costume with the angel symbol that was the uniform for the LA Animorphs. Steve still kept the costume for two reasons. 1.) it fit and he liked it. 2.) It reminded him of the people he had left behind.
Soon a boy stood on the ground. But not for long. His face bulged outwards in the beak of an owl. Thought-speak appeared nearly thirty seconds later althoguh the transformation was still underway. <<What say we help our friends out?>> Steve asked Drake. <<Maybe by bombing the ship before we continue with the pool?>>
Drake:
Drake thought for a long while as he morphed into his secretary bird. He would feel like a sitting duck out there in this morph, but they did have the element of surprise. <<Lets go for it.>>
He picked up one of the few dracon grenades that they still had, and held it in his beak. He made sure it was in a position so that he would not accidentally activate it when he got the safety device undone. To do that, he used a branch on a nearby shrub. He was now in a position to blow himself up.
<<You ready?>> he asked as he took to the sky. It was difficult to fly with such a weight in his mouth, but he figured he could manage long enough. Long enough to destroy or die.
(Continued in Less Talk More Rokk)
Drake:
Drake could feel the butterflies welling up in his stomach. It was not every day that he dealt with volatile explosives. At least his job was the easiest one. Well, second easiest. He was kind of envious of Nadia right now, since she got to stay back at the Den where there was little chance of being blown up.
Drake and Steve were in position on a ledge just behind one of the cliff faces and several cases of explosives were strategically placed in close proximity. From where they were, they could not be seen by the people on the dam, although they could not see the dam either. That would change soon enough.
Their group was in charge of signaling Rian and Ember when to start their distraction, and also in charge of handing the explosives off to Suji and Luce in their bird morphs. "I suppose we should get ready," Drake said to Steve and Robert. Spots began to cover his body.
Stevert:
Stevert flopped down on the ground as soon as he had reached the top. He had taken a rest after lugging all of those bombs up the mountain. Now he slowly got to his feet and grabbed a crate of explosives that he placed next to the giraffe. "Might as well," he replied to Drake. Then grey fur and a huge, bushy tail appeared as Steve melted away and became a grey squirrel.
As the squirrel's limitless energy appaered, Steve said, <<Alright! Let's get this party started!>> Then he grabbed a lighter and climbed to the top of the giraffe. He leaped off Drake's head and grabbed a few sticks of dynamite. He soon had made a small pil;e on Drake's head.
Steve got ready for Luce and another person who he had forgotten the name of to arrive. Drake was going to hand them grenades and such while Steve would hand them and light dynamite. That was something you needed a bit of dexterity for.
Suji:
Suji and Luce hadn't been too far behind Drake and Stevert. They'd helped with a lot of the lugging, because after all, it seemed like it would be rather cruel to morph their birds and watch the guys do all the work with that. All the same, by the time the two young women reached the landing where Drake and Stevert would be relaying their explosives, Suji kind of wished they'd flown anyway.
By the time she reached the area, Drake had already begun morphing his giraffe, and Stevert was becoming a squirrel. She began to unpack what she'd been carrying, laying everything in order, for both the sake of the other team, and for Luce and her own safety as well. Drake and Stevert would need to be a well oiled machine, where working together accurately and cohesively was maybe more critical for them than for any of the other teams. There was an implicit danger in lighting dynamite, let along passing it along to birds who wouldn't even have much time to land.
Suji felt uncomfortable entrusting so many different people to do so many different things correctly. Whenever she drew up plans, they tended to rely on herself, and at most, one other person. It made her nervous to give other people responsibility, especially considering that she was the outsider here. At least she could trust Luce, though, and Luce would be her partner for this. And if Luce had stayed with this group as long as she had, then maybe Suji didn't have to worry all that much.
Suji let out a deep exhale, mentally preparing herself. This was big. She'd been in dangerous situations before (oh yes, nearly being murdered by a rogue, serial-killer Animorph was currently top of that list), but nothing that had this much weight to it. This was a real mission, a real act of warfare, not just espionage.
She was glad to find that while she was inherently nervous, jittery almost (which was an odd sensation for her, always so collected), she wasn't scared. It was more out of excitement. This was going to be a treat compared to what she'd been through lately. Not reckless excitement, necessarily, but the kind of nearly giddy feeling that she got when she knew that a plan held water, that it had a strong chance of survival.
Suji turned to Drake and Stevert, and immediately concealed how disturbed she was to find a squirrel creating a stockpile of dynamite on a giraffe's head. She refrained from saying all the things that could go wrong with this picture, and forcing a smile (that, after a little convincing, actually turned into a natural one--one that barely contained the thrumming alertness, aliveness in her bones). "I'd offer to shake both of your hands in a gesture of good luck, but I guess I'll just have to settle for saying it. Good luck."
She smirked, a little playfully--looking over her shoulder, she could see that Luce was joining them. "Also, resist the temptation to blow Luce up. I know she's can be a pain, but I really don't feel like doing these runs all by myself."
Drake:
Drake would have laughed at Suji's comment, but he was a bit preoccupied by the bombs he was trying do balance on his head. <<Maybe we should not put quite that many on my head. I think I could hold one or two with my tongue, too, if need be.>> Drake stuck out his long giraffe tongue, demonstrating how it could reach clear back to his ears.
He was glad he finally had a use for this morph. With it his head could just barely see over the hilltop and to where the Hoover Dam was awaiting their bombardments. The long neck also would be a useful tool for handing off the explosives without making Suji or Luce come in for a complete landing. He expected his face to get scratched up by their talons, but the pain would not be anything he could not work through.
<<Should we send out the signal?>>
Stevert:
A tongue stretched up over Drake's head. Steve actually backed up a step at the ugly thing. That long of tongues were meant to stay insidethe mouth, not reaching up over it. Then Steve promply placed two sticks of dynamite on the apendage. <<There. Chew on that, Drake,>> he happily said.
Now another voice met his ears. <<Good luck to you too. Hit those slugs where it hurts.>> Steve said in return. <<And I won't purposely aim for Luce, but if I "accidentally" fly over her and "accidentally" release a bomb, well, let's hope she can morph out of it.>> Steve chuckled to make sure that Luce didn't take offense and try to kill him.
So many oppurtunities to talk. Back in LA, Steve had to wait a few mionutes between conversations. Here, talking just occurred BAm, BAM, BAM! Like now for example, Steve had to talk some more. <<We have a signal? Ooo, I didn't know that. Is it a laser light? You know, if Rian and Ember are cats, that could mean to start since cats just love laser lights.>>
Suji:
Suji snickered at Stevert's reply, though she was more transfixed by the giraffe's tongue scooping up a few sticks of dynamite. It was more bizarre than any dream could ever be. But there wasn't much time to think about that. Soon enough they would signal, and the show would start. Suji looked over at Luce, but said nothing--she hoped that the small smile would be enough: I'm glad you're on my team, it hopefully read.
When Suji looked forward again, her face was already melting, forming the hook of the vulture's beak. Feathers, some gold and others black, rose from her skin, making two huge fans out of her arms. As her body shrunk, Suji kicked off the shoes she worn for the hike up. Taking a few hopping glides forward, she was now an Egyptian vulture. The black pits of her eyes magnified everything, and her large, powerful wings tucked close to her body.
It was a long way up, to look up at the top of the giraffe's head, but she swiveled her neck in the attempt. Please, please, don't let them have any accidents. Then she looked back at Luce.
Luce:
Luce carefully laid out the last of the explosives. She had been one of the ones to volunteer to lug this stuff up here all night so that most of the faction could rest up. She wouldn't have been able to sleep even if she had tried and so she hadn't bothered trying.
This morning the whole faction had helped bring up the last of what they would use and Luce could just barely make out the forms of Diana, Ray, Rian and Ember flying away. "Not yet, don't signal them yet they aren't there I think. Soon." She shaded her hand and looked up at the giraffe and squirrel. It was an...interesting idea to use those morphs but she didn't know if it would necessarily work. But she had decided to actually trust her team mates instead of just assuming they were a bunch of kids with little experience and less sense.
Still she hoped this worked. Except that about a goo %40 of hoped just as strongly that it didn't. She knew what Rian and Ember's mission was and she knew that they wouldn't have time to discriminate while they were down there, not that they would. One controller was as good, or in this case, bad as any of the others right? She herself hadn't hesitated to kill many of them thinking it was better to be dead than a slave.
So she wasn't really upset by the prospect of controllers dying. Just one, one controller's death would affect her very much. But there was nothing she could do. Any attempt to warn Sedra of what was coming would have compromised their whole operation and the whole team in general and that was a line she wasn't yet ready to cross.
Her dark mood was lightened a bit by having Suji here. If nothing else it felt good to have a clear objective and a capable partner to work with. She had missed that feeling. She was starting to trust some of the people in Vegas but she didn't trust many of them to watch her back the way she knew Suji could.
Just concentrate on your job, she told herself but even as she morphed and flew above the ground crew following Suji's egyptian vulture, circling them, it was with a heavy heart.
Drake:
<<Ten four,>> he said to Luce in acknowledgment. Silly Drake, you already knew that it was not time to send out the signal yet. They knew that there was a strong possibility of their being fireworks at this event, and they were supposed to send out the signal near the end of the display. Judging by the distinct lack of bright kabooms, it was not yet time to start.
<<You do not know about the signal Steve? Well, you will have to be the one to initiate it with that lighter of yours. It is straight ahead, behind that rock.>> Drake turned his head to aim it at the rock in question. They had a small green firework set up on top of the hill (well shielded from the other explosives) to use as a signal.
<<I hope we can get this over with pretty soon, or else I might explode from anticipation.>> Perhaps that was not the best choice of words, given the situation, but it was still an accurate description of how he was feeling at the moment.
Stevert:
Steve muttered to himself as Robert temporarily controlled his actions. Robert had decided to imitate his brother's stockpiling technique and created a similar pile, only bigger, on Drake's back. He knew he couldn't put to many there or else they would fall off. So, as Robert did the labor, Steve soaked up the social atmosphere.
<<Fireworks? AWESOME!>> Steve crowed in thought-speak. <<Wow, you guys here in Vegas are so much cooler than the folks back in LA. Matt would never had let me play with a forework...not even if the mission depended on it. Well, maybe then he would. After all, surely Dracon beams are deadlier than fireworks...but still! Fireworks! I can't wait!>> Steve ended in thought-speak.
In his private part of his mind, Robert groaned. Steve just kept going on, and on, and on, and not surprisingly, on and on. He actually kind of wished that he could have stayed in LA, if only to stay away from his babbling brother.
<<Knock it off, Steve.>> Robert sais in open thought-speak that he didn't even try to keep between him and his brother. After all, everyone else must have been thinking the same thing. Except for Drake. Drake and Steve got so well along together that he wouldn't mind.
But Steve was still talking. And Robert was still groaning.
Luce:
Luce laughed at Robert's thought speak message. She had noticed Steve's tendancy to chatter herself and didn't like it much. In fact the kid was really too young for her to really like his company in both age and maturity. But Luce thought she might actually get along with Robert if he wasn't as flighty as Steve seemed to be.
She found their situation unfortunate and unique and for the first time she started thinking of them as two different people. <<Robert,>> she called down in open thought speak, <<how old are you?>>
Stevert:
If only Robert could still morph, then he would fly away from his brother as fast as possible. However, he wasn't going to shut Steve up. Steve would continue talking to him so if Rob had to suffer, than everyone had to suffer. After all, didn't teammates share everything except chocolate?
Then thoguht-speak flooded his mind as well as Steve's. Rob was taken aback since people normally just spoke to Steve and Rob answered that way. And to make matters even more unusual, it was Luce who was talking to him.
In open thought-speak as well, Robert responded, <<I am 16 years old. Why, is there a problem?>>
Luce:
Luce's wings slowly went up and down as she gained and lost height. It was difficult maintaining a position in the air above the giraffe and the squirrel, especially in the cool morning air. It would be much easier to fly in the canyon that was the lake. The owl, by some sense that birds had, knew that, knew there would be more wind to ride there. But it wasn't time yet to head out over the lake and Luce knew that once they did they would expose themselves and it would only be a matter of time until some sort of resistance was put into the air so Luce wasn't anxious to get out in the open.
She dipped below the level of Drake's head and her wings beat dead air to get back up. Maybe she should land? Birds required a lot of energy to fly and hers hadn't eaten nor would it if she was lucky. Suji had to be feeling the strain even worse since she had a bigger bird.
<<Maybe we should land Suj, at least until we get the signal.>> Then she turned her attention back to Robert, looking down at the squirrel as she tried to find a good place to set down. <<No, no problem. I was just wondering. You seem older than your brother and more mature, then again, going through what you have, that is not surprising.>>
Luce hated yeerks. And she had thought she would hate that Steve was a controller but instead she just felt an odd sort of pity and comradeship with Robert if not Steve. He had lost a lot to this fight already, maybe even more than her.
Stevert:
Robert chuckled. <<Yes, I am older than Steve. After all, he's only 14. And honestly, I think Steve acts the way he does becuase it might be a defense mechanism. He talks, he laughs, he makes a fool of himself probably to forget what is going on. I know he can't completely do that but Steve is coping.>> All of that was said in private thoughtspeak to Luce. In fact, he blocked his thoughts from Steve as he talked.
Then Robert replied to Luce again, but this time in open thought-speak. <<Yeah, I have been through alot. But so has Steve. But we'll survive.>> After a brief pause, Robert asked, <<So when do we fire the signal again? I forgot.>>
Luce:
Luce didn't respond to Robert's summary of his brother's character. She understood that Steve's tendency to talk was some sort of defense mechanism. She just had no patience for it. Didn't mean she hated the kid just that she wasn't going to be inviting him out to any parties anytime soon. Rob, well that was a different story but they kind of came as a pair. Or did they. She supposed that if some else offered to serve as Robert's host then they could get him away from Steve. But who would volunteer for that?
<<When we see the fireworks start on the dam,>> she said in open thoughtspeak. Then to Robert alone she said, <<I'm 22 and I was made a controller when I was 18.>> She landed on the ground and folded her wings. <<I understand defense mechanisms. We all have to find a way to deal with the bad things. But what is yours? You seem to be handling your situation well.>>
Stevert:
Privately, Robert responded. <<Well, it isn't as if I have much of a choice. I can no longer morph nor experience the things I used to. I guess I just deal with it all by staying with Steve. Through him I can morph in a way and still get to do things that I can't. So in a way, I'm lucky. I could easily have been trapped as a goldfish or a cockroach or something. Then I would have been useless and probably would have gone insane. Besides, Steve unintentionally helps. With him constantly chattering, whether you guys hear it or not, he helps me to forget what happened to me,>> he finished in a hushed tone.
Now his mind was racing. Why is Luce taking an interest in me? Surely there isn't much to speak of. I mean, I'm a yeerk nothlit. There isn't much to speak of besides how I live with Steve 24/7. And I don't know how I do that myself. By now, he had finished the explosive pile and ran back up Drake's neck and sat behind his horns.
Luce:
<<Wow, that is quite a positive outlook.>> Luce didn't think that in the face of losing so much she could have been nearly as optimistic. There were so many things that Robert wouldn't be able to do in his life but instead of concentrating on that he was focusing on the things that were left to him. Luce found that attitude inspiring and her respect for the older brother rose no end. Not that she imagined her opinion would matter to him or Steve but she felt a little better about this mission knowing Robert was part of the ground team.
<<Maybe after we finish this we can catch a drink or something and talk more about our philosophies on life.>> Luce said it a bit sarcastically but she meant the offer. She'd like to talk to the guy more.
Luce heard the voice of the controller that had made the announcement at the party begin to boom over the surface of the lake, amplified so that all could hear. <<I think it is almost time. Best get back in the air.>> She lifted off and began to circle back into the sky.
Drake:
<<That is your cue,>> Drake said to Steve as the first of the fireworks went off. He stretched out his neck and put his nose near where the signal was sitting in order to make a bridge for the little squirrel. <<Everyone is ready, right?>>
It was a rhetorical question since they had been waiting for a little while now. They were all physically ready, and if they were not emotionally ready by now, then it was too late to back out without becoming a deserter. It was time to find out if all of their planning and preparations would pay off. It was completely cliche, but Drake could not stop himself from saying it. <<Let's show these aliens who they're dealing with.>>
Drake:
<<Sure, I know a guy who makes a mean glass of Kandrona filled sludge.>> Robert said in response to Luce's sarcastic comment. <<And good luck up there,>> he 'said' to Luce and Suji. Know he turned his attention back to what was happening as Steve leaped off of Drake's head and landed just behind the signal.
<<Actually, let's not show the yeerks who we are. That could make us targets and I want a mission to actually go right for once. Does Vegas have a good record for that?>> Steve blurted out as he switched the lighter on. He leaned over and touched the small flame that was pretty big to the squirrel to the wick. Like out of an old Bugs Bunny cartoon, the wick ignited and began burning up.
<<Fire in the haul!>> Steve cried as he jumped back on to Drake's head, being careful not to dislodge any dynamite. As he watched from between Drake's horns, the firework ignited and flew into the sky. For a moment, it just hung there and then a brilliant explosion of light and smoke erupted from it.
<<Wow,>> Steve said. <<That was so cool! Let's do that again!>>
Luce:
<<Well actually I was thinking something more of the human variety,>> she said to Robert, <<but then I remembered you're underage...both of you.>> A small laugh followed the comment but then she saw the fireworks go off on the dam. <<Guess it's time. Thanks, you too,>> she answered Robert's good luck wishes.
She turned and lined up for a fly-by of Drake's head to pick up her first stick of dynamite giving plenty of time for Rob to get it lit and hold it out. <<First run.>>
Drake:
Drake held out a stick of dynamite (or whatever it was) in his tongue, trying as best he could to keep it in a position to be lit and grabbed by Luce and Suji. This was going to get interesting, fast. Never in his wildest dreams would Drake have ever imagined that he would end up in his current position.
<<I got ammo for whoever needs some! And do not worry about scratching. Giraffes are tough. And Steve. Do not think for one second that I will not toss you over the side of the cliff if you are about to blow us up. You better have the skill of a surgeon with that lighter.>> That probably came out a little harsher than intended, but the situation was pretty intense at the moment. At least more intense than Drake would have liked.
Stevert:
<<Scalpel,>> the younger boy replied as he leaned over Drake's ridiculously long tongue to light the dynamite. <<But I thought giraffes were tough.>> he whined. Then he laughed as images of explosions ran through his mind and a giraffe just standing there as a squirrel holding dynamite fell off a cliff. well, the last part wasn't too funny.
<<Drake, maybe I should hold the dynamite. No, never mind. I think the girls might take me as well.>> Steve said. <<I am immune to the yeerks now and I got a morph suitable for aquatic conditions but the yeerk sludge stains horribly and is almost impossible to get out. In fact, if Robert hadn't become a nothlit, he would've needed a new morphing suit.>>
And now, Steve had to exert a little energy to calm the squirrel down. It didn't take much since the squirrel had been Steve's favorite morph and the easiest one to relate too. But the sight of two humungous birds flying straight at him made the squirrel a little bit...nervous.
Luce:
Luce came in slightly above Drake's head and actually dropped past it, stooping on the dynamite, talons gripping the ends that stuck out on either side of Drake's tongue. Her fanned tail brushed against the giraffe's face and it threw her off and she dropped more than she'd like as she came off the pick up but she hadn't dropped the stick and she hadn't gouged Drake's eyes out so all in all Luce called that a success.
"Alright gentlemen, I'll see you in a couple of minutes hopefully. If not then I'll see you on the other side if there is one." She corrected her wings and headed out over the lake.
Drake:
<<Was that a joke?>> Drake asked Stevert privately. <<I think that might have been a joke. Luce must be nervous or something if she is trying to make jokes.>>
Drake really did not know if it was supposed to be a joke or not, and he really did not care. He was just talking in order to keep his mind off of the lit explosive from his mouth he had just passed to an owl in flight. <<Got the next one ready?>>
He gave up trying to keep his mind off of it.
Suji:
Suji's wings strained as she fought to hover. The signal went off, and internally, she felt the giddy nervousness fall away, much like the ground would once she soared out over the pool. Instead, inside, she was calm: like a motion picture will all the sound stripped away. Not cold like she'd had to be during the Toby and Sophia affair. Just... ready.
She had heard the banter before but had neglected to participate that much. Suji felt like this plan, at least this part of it, was completely her own doing. Not in the way that she could take sole credit for its success--nothing like that--but in the way that if it failed, she would be experiencing the brunt of responsibility. Their's to share in success, but all hers to wallow in if someone died.
Heavy thoughts that fell away too as she plucked the first stick of homemade dynamite into her talons. <<They picked the wrong planet tonight, boys and girls. Let's blow these slugs back to Mars.>> Tough talk, but it felt good, right. The kind of thing you were supposed to say at moments like this. Then, privately, to Drake and Stevert: <<Take care.>>
Suji picked up altitude, following Luce. Her thoughtspeak was reopened to all of them. <<Make sure you don't explode! We need waterboys with all giraffe tongues and lighters and bushy tails in working order!>> With that she laughed, and pulled her wings in tight.
Stevert:
<<Uh, not really sure. She doesn't smile or laugh or anything to give herself away,>> Steve replied to Drake in a highly philosophical way. In the meantime, he leaned over a agin and stretched out to light the next stick of dynamite. What ever happened today, he was certain that he was going to get a good workout with his squirrel morph.
<<Okay. We will.>> Steve said very matter-of-factly in response to Suji. Then, after he said to Drake. <<Drake. I'm still going to get you back for leaving me with those wasps back there. Just to remind you.>> What happened was, when they were hiking up the mountain, one of the piles of explosives had slipped and began rolling down the mountain. Steve went to retrieve them when wasps attacked.
Drake:
<<Wait a minute. You will get me back? I should be the one getting back at you. As I recall, you caused me to drop them in the first place. I could have exploded!>> Drake let out a little laugh after that. He already had his next explosive ready, so now all he had to do was wait until the delivery birds returned. His mind thought back to the events Steve was describing...
"Would you hurry it up? At your pace we will have to blow up the dam next July." Drake was kidding of course, because he was not going much faster. He just happened to be in the lead at the moment.
He and Steve were taking their third load of explosives up the side of the hill for that day. Drake was not sure how athletic Steve was, but he himself was definitely out of shape. Even the small crate he had on his back was enough to wear him down to the point of exhaustion.
"Hold on. I need to take a break." Drake stopped and took the crate off his back, then set it on the ledge beside him as he sat down to rest. He wiped his brow free of sweat. You knew you were working hard if you sweat in Las Vegas, because it usually evaporates quickly. "Are we there yet?" Drake asked with a grin.
Stevert:
"Hey! It's not my fault ou're, like, twice my size!" Steve complained. He and Drake were carrying the same amount of explosives but they nearly flattened him. Besides, wasn't hard labor like this what morphing was for? "I really need a horse morph or something. This would be a whole lot easier."
Fianlly Drake stopped. "Again?" Steve cried although he needed a break as well. "You had at least ten breaks on the last two trips and now you have already passed fifteen! You need to morph a turtle. It matches you perfectly." Steve jabbed at Drake. Of course, Steve had called for a few breaks as well. A fourteen year old can only carry so much stuff up and down a mountain a few times without getting tired.
Then Steve was caught off guard by Drake's comment. "I wish. Why don't they make mountains smaller? Then it would be easier for rogue humans to carry explosives up and down it. Some people are just sooo inconsiderate." he said as he plopped down on the dirt out of weariness. In fact, he was tired enough to want to morph his squirrel. But a squirrel couldn't carry the crate that Steve was carrying. Heck, STEVE could barely carry it.
Then, Steve looked around. He saw rocks. And more rocks. A few trees. Some bushes. Some grass and other plants. But most of all, he saw ROCKS! So, out of boredom, he picked up a small, light pebble and chucked it at Drake.
Drake:
Drake was too busy trying not to laugh at Steve's banter to notice him picking up a rock. However, he did notice when the pebble came flying at him, and he jerked back to avoid it. Causing him to bump his crate over the side of the hill.
Drake cringed as he heard it sliding down the slope, expecting to be blown to smithereens at any moment. When he finally realized that he would survive, he looked to see what had happened to the crate. It was stuck in a shrub that was growing out of the hillside.
"Look what you made me do!" Drake exclaimed, passing the blame onto Steve. "You better go get that because I am definitely not climbing down there." Drake stood with his arms crossed. He had been having fun earlier (sort of), but now he was serious. Not because he actually blamed Steve, but because now they had to retrieve some explosives from a precarious location.
Stevert:
"Well I'M not going down there either," Steve replied. "Who knows when that stuff will explode? I personally would prefer to keep myself in one piece, thank you very much." He said as he mimicked Drake's posture. "And I didn't make you push it down the hill. Nope, you came up with that on your own."
"I know! Let's flip a coin! Heads you go down or tails I stay up here." Steve said rather quickly. Of course he didn't have any money though. So he picked up another rock. "Bumpy side is heads. Smooth side is tails. Agreed?"
Drake:
"Fine. Except on tails you go down there, " Drake said, snatching the rock from Steve's hand. He tossed it up in the air so it would flip end over end. He let it fall on the ground so that he could not be blamed for tampering with the outcome.
"Yes! Have fun fishing for dynamite. I will try to resist throwing burning sticks at you while you are down there." Drake was interested to see how Steve would pull this one off.
Stevert:
"Urhhgg," Steve said as he contemplated his move. "I know you rigged that." he complained as a surge of energy rushed through him and he spine exploded out into an elegant, bushy tail. Soon the changes were done and a grey squirrel of the eastern variety leaped over the ridge with tis arms outspread, in the attempts to mimick a comic book superhero. <<Super Squirrel to the rescue!>> Steve cried out as the familiar mind bubbled up.
Then he hit the ground nearly two stories down and rolled to keep moving. He knew from a lot of practice that the squirrel would not have been hurt. He'd done similar tricks all the time back in LA. So now he came out of his roll and began scampering back down towards the crate. Steve never stopped moving until he reached the crate.
Once he did stop tohugh, he stood on his haunches and scratched the squirrel's head while the other one rested on his hip. Thinking quickly, he came up with a brilliant plan. He would get Robert to come up with a brilliant plan. Speaking directly to Robert's mind without the use of thought-speak, Steve said, <<Hey, do ya got any ideas? I've drawn a blank and even that looks horrible.>>
<<Watch and learn, little brother.>> Robert answered chipperly. He swiftly assumed control over Steve and lunged at the bush. He climbed towards the crate that seemed to be lodged in the center of the bush. Right now, Robert was using reconnosaince to figure out the best way to move it. After all, the crate could detonate at the slightest disturbance.
He climbed closer and began to bite away at several thin branches that were constricting the box the most. When he finished the task, he leaped out of the tree and began to dmeorph Steve's body.
<<Okay Steve, now pull it out.>he said as a human now stood by the bush.
Steve obeyed and jerked the crate free of the bush. Suddenly, a buzzing sound appeared in his ear and then vanished. A second later, a sharp pain erupted on the back of his neck. He instinctively slapped at the spot and flet a moving object there. Suddenly, another sharp pain on his elbow. He looked down and a wasp flew away. Then another sting on his other arm. Then on his cheek.
As he slapped and swatted, Steve turned back towards the top of the hill and yelled, "DRAKE! WE"RE UNDER ATTACK!"
Drake:
Drake watched from up above as Steve got stung over and over again. He felt bad for him, but it was still kind of funny at the same time. Besides, there was not a lot he could do about it. "Hope you are not allergic!" Drake called down.
Drake mentally went through his list of morphs to see if anything he had could help. Fish and moth, definitely not. Giraffe, not on this narrow ledge and from way up here. Lizard could try to eat them, but that did not sound too appealing and it probably could not catch the flying bugs anyway. Secretary bird? He could fly down there, but then all he would be able to do is soak up some of the stings for him.
"Sorry Steve! Looks like you are on your own down there!"
Stevert:
"THANKS A LOT DR--AARRRGHH!" Steve screamed as he slapped at another sting. Steve's mind raced. He could heal any wound and most diseases. He could become a wild dog a kill a man with one bite. He could fly hundreds of feet high. He could swim underwater faster than most fish. He could climb the highest tree. He could catch mice in the middle of a pitch black night. But he could not defend against wasps.
His face and hands were beginning to feel puffy so as he grabbed onto the crate and tried dragging it away from the wasps. He dragged it about ten feet before he gave up. Every patch of exposed skin was covered in blisters and he was getting numb. That meant that his feet, hands, arms, legs from the knees down, and face were covered in stings.
So he tried a tactic to get away. He began to run. But as he did so, orange and white fur spread from his hairline downwards. About another minute later, he fell forwards and landed in a bush. Fortunately, the partial morphing had healed most of the stings so he reversed the morph.
As soon as he was able, he extracted himself from the bush and began to walk back towards the crate. Fortune had abviously smile don him because the wasps were nowhere to be seen. He grabbed the crate and slung it on to his back. Then he trudged back up the hill, all the while, glaring bloody murder at Drake.
Half way up the hill, Steve slapped at an itch on his arm. Then another itch. He slapped again and heard a 'crunch!' He looked down at his wrist and saw a mess of blood, goo, and who-knows-what. Then a familar pain jabbed into his neck as a buzzing sound filled his ears. Yelling, Steve ran faster than ever up the hill.
When he reached the top with the hoarde right behind him, he decided that Drake should share his experience as well. Yelling, he ran towards Drake and then around him, efectively placing Drake in the wasps' path.
"How do you like it, Drake?" Steve said as he quickly set the crate down. Stings still jabbed him but now he was morphing.
Drake:
Drake had been trying to restrain his laughter as he watched Steve struggle up the hill with the angry wasps, but now that they were up here, it was not quite as funny. "Ow! What? Hey! They are supposed to be attacking you, not me!" Normally if you just stood still then stinging bugs do not bother you. But apparently these guys did not get the memo.
If he had time to think about it, Drake probably would have tried to acquire one and joined their ranks. But Drake did not have time to think about it. He was too busy getting made into a stinger pincushion! Therefore he did what was only natural. He ran.
Drake ran as fast as he could down the hill they had come up on, trying to get away from the swarm and swatting aimlessly. Then he tried to trow them off by doubling back and running back up the hill. Not a smart choice. Not only did they still follow him, he was now working twice as hard by going uphill. "Ahh! Get away from me!" he said to the bugs.
Stevert:
"See Drake? Aren't these guys os fun?" Steve shouted as he horizontally across the hill. Going down would only make the wasps madder by getting closer to their home and going uphill was too hard. So he ran to the side, and he tried not to stumble. Amazingly, pain seemed to increase your coordination. Steve didn't fall once.
It seemed like the swarm had split into two groups. One chased Drake and the other hounded Steve. "Drake! Trying morphing to escape them! Steve shouted. The fun was over now and he and Drake had to get going on the mission.
Now Steve took his own advice and tried to morph to get away. A cool-looking diamond tattoo spread across his skin along with red marks were he kept getting stung.
Three minutes and dozens of stings later, a short eared owl flew back towards the site where the crate had been dumped followed by a pack of wasps. <<Drake! Get a lighter! I got an idea! And break open a crate! I'm planning on getting rid of these things forever!>>
Drake:
Drake liked Steve's idea better than his. Morph instead of run. Drake concentrated as best he could on his secretary bird morph and in a few minutes he was flapping as hard as he could to get away from the pesky pests.
Then when he heard Steve's suggestion Drake could not help but let out a laugh. But he stopped quickly as he realized he might not be joking. <<Sorry Steve, but I don't feel like dyeing today. Lets save that event for when we blow up the dam.>>
Drake tried dipping and diving and doing loop-de-loops, but nothing seed to be able to shake them. <<Got any other bright ideas, wise guy?>> He was going to have more bumps than a toad with chickenpox pretty soon.
Stevert:
<<Actually, now that you mention it, I've got every part needed for my time machine except for the spatial-rift initiating sequencers. You wouldn't happen to know where I could get some do you? Or were you talking about my plan to totally cut the cost of our hotel insurance in half? Be more specific please.>> Steve rattled off as he poured on every evasive action and manuever that the three collective minds knew of (the owl, Steve, and Robert).
Suddenly, an amazing idea struck. Actually, that was another wasp sting. But the trio had still come up with an idea. Fly higher! <<Draaaaake! We have an idea! Fly as high as you can! Straight up! It takes a lot of effort to fly in the thinner atmosphere and hopefully these mutant-wasps or whatever they are won't follow. And you know something? I'm sure I've seen this scene in a cartoon or something. Y'know when the cartoon annoys a lot of bees and they follow him in a tear-drop shape? And if the character hides, then the bees turn into a saw or something to find the character? I think these things have seen to many cartoons.>>
Then Steve suddenly swerved upwards and pumped his wings as fast as possible to increase his altitude and to get away fromt he insects. They were persistent little buggers! And every pun was intended! Maybe humans weren't the only ones who hated the yeerks so the wasps were driving out anything that resembled a controller? Who knew? And who cared? All Stevert was worried about was getting away from them!
Drake:
Drake could not think of any better ideas at the moment, so he decided to follow Steve's. But it was easier said than done. Drake had a different type of bird morph than Steve had, and it was not the type that did intense arial acrobatics.
<<Ugh. This is hard. How did you manage to get so high, so fast?>> Drake frantically pumped his wings, straining every muscle. He was fighting gravity for every inch, but he was steadily raising higher and higher. He was still getting stung, but it was less and less frequent with every passing minute. He was not sure if it was because the plan was working, or because the bugs were running out of stingers. And he did not care.
<<Finally,>> Drake said when he reached a height where the bugs stopped stinging him. <<Whoa! This is pretty high up. I did not know my bird morph could get this far off the ground.>> A slight feeling of vertigo started to creep up on Drake as he looked down at the landscape. His bird mind was doing just fine, but Drake was starting to get a little nervous. <<You want to go back down?>>
Stevert:
<<I don't know how I do it!>> Steve retorted. <<This bird ain't meant to power fly! It usually flies like a butterfly. Very slow and lazy. But I guess adrenaline can do anything.>>
The air was a lot thinner now, at the height that he and Drake had achieved. That meant it was harder to breathe properly and it took a lot more power to stay up there. But on the bright side, surely the wasps' small wings would not be able to work up there. And that meant the plan had been successful. <<You know Drake? If the yeerks had been wasps, we never would have stood a chance of escape.>>
Now his muscles were draining and each wing beat seemed to take exponentially more amounts of energy to flap. <<Sure let's go. Hey look!>> he interjected. <<The wasps are falling! Maybe their wings and muscles gave out. O
r do they even have muscles?>> But Steve still followed their example and he folded his wings in and let gravity bring him down.
Drake:
Drake just let Steve's comment go unanswered. Exhaustion started to rear its ugly head and he did not feel like expending any more energy than necessary. Not even the energy required to think. Drake drifted down towards the ground lazily. Back towards the hillside near the lake.
<<Yeah, you definitely owe me for that one,>> Drake said as he handed off another stick of... whatever it was, to the birds. <<Not only were you the reason I dropped the explosives, but you also made a swarm of wasps attack me, and I almost died of exhaustion a thousand miles up in the air. You better buy me an ice cream cone or something.>>
Drake looked over at the dam. It looked like the smoke bombs were starting to wear out. He hoped Rian and Ember were alright. The tower was still standing too, but he did not remember when exactly it was supposed to go down, so he hoped everything was going smoothly over there, too. However, it looked like extra support had not been called in yet, so that was a plus.
Stevert:
<<Okay. I do admit that I might have played a role in you dropping the crate, but the wasps had nothing to do with me. Besides, you were dumb enough to stand in the way and not to help me so I think you owe me the ice cream cone. If it will last longer than a nanosecond in this sun.>> Steve remarked as he also passed along an explosive device.
Steve still felt a little sore after the experience. Only mentally since morphing cured the wounds. But he forgot about it in a second as he ran down Drake's neck to get a another stick of dynamite. Then he began to remake the mini stockpile on Drake's head that had now run out.
Luce:
((Last part of Rokk post))
They were level with the boys again and Luce set herself on a path that would take her past them so that she could do a u-turn and pick up another bomb. <<We're back. Time for round two.>>
Drake:
<<How much damage do you think those things really do?>> Drake asked Steve as Luce and Suji flew off to deliver round two. <<I mean, sure, they give off a splash, but the dam is not exactly bursting at the seams. I suppose it is still too soon for that though.>> Having answered his own question, Drake tried to think of something else talk about while they waited.
<<So, do you think the yeerks have some sort of backup power source for the city? You know the Hoover Dam supplies a lot of the power for the western United States.>> Drake was showing off his knowledge from being a Las Vegas local.
<<Actually, are they even using it for electricity now? Probably not since they made the lake into a yeerk pool. Hmm.>> Drake managed to stump himself. Now he could not help but wonder what sorts of alien power sources the yeerks might have.
Stevert:
<<Oh I don't know. Maybe enough to kill about a few hundred yeerks apiece?>> Steve said although his tone had become cold half way through. He didn't like the way the conversation was now going, since he did not like the plan very much of slaughtering so many helpless yeerks.
On the inside, Steve smilied and then said, <<Popwer source? Not sure. I never heard anything about it in the pool here or in LA. Not that I was too important or anything. So what do you--hey! Do you see that?>> While talking, Steve had been searching for Luce and Suji to return so he would know when to light more bombs.
While doing so, he had seen bright red flashes over the dam. They were too narrow and they seemed to be coming from above the pool. <<Drake? Did the girls happen to take some Dracon beams with them?>> he asked as a cold feeling began to form in the pit of his metaphorical stomach.
He leaped off Drake's head and glided towards the ground, using his enormous tail as a parachute. He rolled as he landed and scurried across the bround climbing up the hill. He reached the base of a tree and skillfully scaled it. Once he had reached the top, at a height about fifteen feet above Drake's head, he saw something he did not like.
<<Yeerks! Drake! The yeerks have discovered Luce and Suji!>>
Drake:
Drake saw it now, too. With his head just barely over the peak of the hill, he could see the dracon beam shots from the bug fighter. This was not good, but at least they had delivered a large potion of their ammunition.
<<I think that is our cue to go.>> Not waiting for an answer, drake put his head near a ledge and let the remaining explosives slide off gently. Then he began the process of demorphing. If the bug fighter came to this side of the hill, then he did not want to give them a target as big as a giraffe to shoot at. Even if they missed him, there was a good chance they would hit one of the remaining explosives. "You going to fly yourself? Or do you want to hitch a ride once I get some wings?"
Stevert:
<<My own wings of course. Now, watch and be amazed at the little morph I have up my...DNA. And it ain't the blue jay.>> Steve said as he hurled himself into the air and almost floated to the ground. In midair, he began demorphing.
He hit the ground as a shifting mass of fur and the mostly black costume with the angel symbol that was the uniform for the LA Animorphs. Steve still kept the costume for two reasons. 1.) it fit and he liked it. 2.) It reminded him of the people he had left behind.
Soon a boy stood on the ground. But not for long. His face bulged outwards in the beak of an owl. Thought-speak appeared nearly thirty seconds later althoguh the transformation was still underway. <<What say we help our friends out?>> Steve asked Drake. <<Maybe by bombing the ship before we continue with the pool?>>
Drake:
Drake thought for a long while as he morphed into his secretary bird. He would feel like a sitting duck out there in this morph, but they did have the element of surprise. <<Lets go for it.>>
He picked up one of the few dracon grenades that they still had, and held it in his beak. He made sure it was in a position so that he would not accidentally activate it when he got the safety device undone. To do that, he used a branch on a nearby shrub. He was now in a position to blow himself up.
<<You ready?>> he asked as he took to the sky. It was difficult to fly with such a weight in his mouth, but he figured he could manage long enough. Long enough to destroy or die.
(Continued in Less Talk More Rokk)